Winter Spiced Porridge

Hope you’ve had a lovely day. Glasgow was absolutely freezing today. We did see the sun for the first time in I don’t know how long however, which was incredible! The sun just makes everything better. If winter days were more like this I’d definitely enjoy this time of year a lot more.

I started my day with heading to the gym and got there just before eight to squeeze my workout in before my lecture at eleven. It’s been great getting back into routine and getting my much needed exercise dose again. I managed to go to the gym quite a bit when I was home but I’ve missed our uni gym and all the amazing equipment there. My motivation hasn’t been on top either but now I’m gradually feeling it coming back. What do you guys do to back into routine and get your motivation back? I usually just force myself to go to the gym, once I’ve been a couple of times it usually gets better 😛 I tell myself that if I eve go for 20 minutes that is better than nothing and once I’m there I end up staying for longer. It’s just getting there that’s usually the issue. I don’t know if it’s the same for you?

On my Instagram today I promised I would share my new tweaked porridge recipe that I’ve been having and absolutely loving. It’s incredible to have during these cold winter months as it has quite a few warming winter spices in it. What you need is:

About 150 ml oats (I use organic ground oats)

Just over 300ml of water

Chia seeds (about a teaspoon, perhaps a bit more)

Flax seeds (about a teaspoon, perhaps a bit more)

Pinch of himalayan pink salt

Sprinkle of cardamom, powdered ginger and cloves

For toppings (this is what I usually to top my porridge with during the winter months. Sometimes I whip out a frying pan and fry the banana in some coconut oil with a sprinkle of cinnamon, soo good!):

Half a banana

Quarter of a Pink Lady apple (sliced really thinly)

A drizzle of almond butter (here is the recipe to my homemade almond butter)

Chopped walnuts

Chopped cashews

Pumpkin seeds

A sprinkle of cinnamon

Oat milk or almond milk (i’m obsessed with Oatly’s organic oat milk)

Start by cooking the oats, yes I use water, which I’ve noticed is not as common in the UK as it is in Sweden. It’s just the way I’ve always had it 🙂 I cook my porridge on the stove as I think it’s a million times nicer than cooking it in the microwave, it’s worth the extra effort ( is it even extra effort?). Add the chia seeds, flax seeds, salt and other spices to the porridge as well. My measurements of the chia seeds and flaxseeds is just an estimate, I don’t really use measures for my porridge except for the oats and water.

While the porridge is slowly cooking away on the stove you can sort out your toppings. Keep an eye on it though so it doesn’t get dry (I sometimes a bit more water as it cooks to get the right consistency). Slice the banana into really thinly and the apple into small chunks. Once the porridge has reached your desired consistency (I like it when it is still a bit fluffy, if that makes sense?) , pour it into a bowl and add your toppings on top, finishing off with a sprinkle of cinnamon and oat milk!

This breakfast incredibly easy, quick to make and tastes heavenly! It’s great start to the day and keeps you full for hours. Please give it a try and let me know what you think 😀